1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a unit for setting a function of a displayed menu assembled in an electronic apparatus such as an imaging device to be used, and adapted to set an operating condition to functional particulars of the menu displayed on a display of the electric apparatus.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In a digital camera, in order to photograph an image that a photographer wishes to take, it is necessary to perform optimum photographic functional settings with respect to various photo-functional particulars such as an aperture diaphragm, shutter speed, amount of flash light, focus and so on. Simultaneously, necessary use-functional settings are also performed with respect to various use-functional particulars such as date and hour setting, LCD brightness setting and so on.
The photo-functional particulars have, other than the aforementioned functional particulars, settings such as exposure adjustment, white balance, sharpness, photometry method, long time exposure, ISO sensitivity and so on. The use-functional particulars have, also, other than the aforementioned use-functional particulars, energy saving setting, format, auto power-off time setting, setting for buzzer, setting for the time of image confirming, LCD color adjusting, language selection, video type selection, etc.
In the digital camera, it is needed to take a photogenic subject by setting a functional condition with respect to these photo-functional particulars and use-functional particulars, respectively.
In a conventional digital camera, several photo-functional particulars and use-functional particulars such as the aforementioned ones are divided into a plurality of groups, and each of the divided groups of a menu is displayed on a liquid crystal display (LCD) in such a manner as to be able to change over them on a screen-by-screen basis.
That is to say, when a menu of one of the respective groups is displayed on the screen, the other menus are not displayed. These menus which are not displayed are displayed by changing over the screens.
Additionally, in the conventional digital camera, a plurality of tabs is arranged along a periphery of the LCD screen to selectively display the divided groups of the menu. For example, it is structured that when one of the groups is selected by a first tab, only the functional particulars included in the selected group are displayed in an arrangement order as the menu on the LCD, and the functional particulars that are not displayed initially are sequentially displayed on the LCD by controlling a select key to perform a scrolling operation.
However, in the conventional digital camera, because displaying of the LCD are adapted to be changed over such as from the displaying of a first group of the menu to a displaying of a second group of the menu by selecting each of the tabs, it is necessary to bring the position of the cursor on a currently displayed image of the LCD back to a position of the first tab of a group to which the selected functional particular of the plurality of functional particulars belongs to by a scrolling operation, when operating a second tab. Accordingly, the second tab cannot be operated until the cursor is brought back to the first tab.
Therefore, if the cursor is currently located at the last functional particular in the arrangement order of the first group on the LCD, it is necessary to move the cursor to the position of the first tab by the long scrolling operation, thereby placing an operational burden on an operator. In addition, the time it takes to operate the second tab from a current state becomes long, and hence, there is a drawback that the setting of the desired photographing function and the use-function cannot be carried out efficiently.